Chapter 1391
The Power of the Star Ring
Chapter 1391 The Power of the Star Ring
In Rubelu's account, dark matter has two stages of definition.
One is "primitive dark matter," which was not understood by early civilizations—because it does not interact with electromagnetic forces, it does not emit light, reflect light, or absorb light.
This is also the origin of the name "dark matter".
This invisible and intangible substance is made visible by its own gravitational influence on visible objects, such as the rotation of galaxies, the movement of galaxy clusters, and the distribution of cosmic microwave background radiation, and thus it was discovered and named.
Although it cannot be directly observed or captured using conventional optical or electromagnetic equipment, this invisible dark matter exists at a rate five to six times greater than visible matter.
The latest scientific data shows that, according to incomplete estimates, dark matter accounts for about 30% of the total mass of the universe, making it one of the main components of the universe.
In the early stages of civilization, due to limitations in scientific development, dark matter, like many untouchable unknowns, could only exist as a galaxy hanging high in the sky.
Later, with the development of civilization, the "dark matter aggregation state" was accidentally discovered—primordial dark matter can form a temporary but stable "dark matter crystal" in certain specific gravitational fields.
This dark matter crystal structure is robust, with an atomic density thousands of times greater than that of the most robust materials currently recognized.
Later applications proved that even a high-speed impact from an asteroid with a diameter of ten kilometers could only leave shallow damage on the surface of the molten and formed defense, and could not penetrate it at all.
Such robust physical resistance makes dark matter crystals the best core material for stellar defense.
The metal ring surrounding the Nexus Ring alone could withstand the conventional artillery fire of space pirates without using any firepower, not to mention celestial impacts.
"So, the space pirates have no way to get their hands on the Nexus Ring, which is why they gave up attacking it, resulting in a very safe environment around the Nexus Ring?" Lin Fan asked.
“Being unable to defeat them is one aspect,” Rubel laughed, “but there is another important factor—the Nexus Ring is a rare, positionless transit and trading venue.”
"Due to the power struggles at the beginning of its establishment, and after several chaotic disputes, the Nexus Ring finally declared independence. It is a rare independent and neutral trading port in the interstellar space without a political power. Although this independence is somewhat questionable, it is true that there is no political power controlling the Nexus Ring."
"In other words," Lin Fan thought for a moment and asked, "the Nexus Ring can achieve autonomy and is not controlled by other external forces. But due to the overall environment, it will be affected to some extent by neighboring forces or advanced civilizations?"
Where there are people, there will be conflict; how much more so on a planet.
The daily trade volume of the Nexus Ring is astonishing. Not to mention energy resources, the vast network of relationships formed by these transactions is also awe-inspiring.
And such a treasure trove was actually a simple trading organization without any political power... It's astonishing to think about.
Is this the state that only a highly civilized society can achieve? No aggression, high tolerance, and relative peace and civilization?
"Pretty much," Rubel laughed. "It's all thanks to the high-precision materials used when the Nexus Ring was built. It can withstand the cannon fire of pirate ships, so it can certainly withstand the cannon fire of the Empire and the Federation."
"Furthermore, that period coincided with the interstellar wars during the transition of civilizations, and relations between everyone were not good. Who wouldn't want the Nexus Ring? But if anyone tried to get their hands on it, other planetary forces would not be happy. Anyone who coveted the Nexus Ring would eventually be attacked by all sides. The main principle was: if I don't get it, no one else can either."
"After several hundred years of fighting, the trade environment of the Star Nexus Ring was established, and everyone got used to it. In addition, trade is indeed the priority here, and there is no collusion with any political power, so people just let it be and let nature take its course."
"A pure trade port?" Lu Xinyuan rubbed his chin. "That's indeed not easy. It's like a large shopping mall that stands between several national powers, not only without being invaded or occupied, but also recognized as independent..." In any case, from his perspective as a Tiandu native, it was simply unbelievable.
Even if I can't have it, isn't it easy to destroy it? Anyway, nobody can have it, it's not my stuff, so I won't feel bad about destroying it.
“Well, there’s a special element of chance involved,” Rubel continued. “If the Nexus Ring only relied on the sturdy physical defenses of its outer ring, it wouldn’t be able to withstand a prolonged barrage of firepower. Trade is just one of the highlights that makes the Nexus Ring so fascinating, but it’s not the core. The reason it’s so attractive, yet people dare not destroy it, lies precisely in that rare metal outer ring.”
"As mentioned before, the formation of dark matter crystals is highly random. Although it is stable, the formation process is very short. It needs to continuously absorb dark energy from the surrounding environment within a specific gravitational field to maintain the stability of the crystal structure. Once it leaves the fixed gravitational environment for formation, the crystal will decompose back into primordial dark matter and lose its practical value."
"So obtaining dark matter crystals is not easy. Now, all the major powers, including the Nexus Ring itself, are constantly issuing crystal collection missions... Ah, sorry, I've gone off on a tangent." Rubel quickly got back on track, "The construction of the Nexus Ring was the result of the combined efforts of many powers, which allowed them to collect and refine such a large-scale artificial defensive ring."
"Do you see the scale shape on there? That's a highly efficient energy conduction device specially designed for the conductive properties of crystals—each scale faces different directions due to its different bevel angles, and can continuously absorb and conduct various types of radiation energy from the universe, storing it within the ring."
"An energy harvesting device?" Lin Fan immediately understood. "So this Nexus Ring wasn't originally used as a trading port, was it?"
“Definitely not.” Ruberu shook his head with a smile. “The energy collected by the Star Ring is enormous. Currently, most of it is used for the starship's energy storage, but when needed, this energy will be converted entirely into propulsion, achieving a unified offensive and defensive capability. You probably don't know this, but the weapons on the Star Ring are produced by our Moonflower Star. Look…”
Ruberu tapped the terminal a few times, and a three-dimensional projection of the Nexus Ring immediately appeared above the table. However, compared to what they had seen from space, this projection contained many more weapons and devices.
"In the event of a disaster, the outermost dark matter shield will be activated first. This thing is directly connected to the energy storage tank inside the star ring. As long as there is energy, the defense mechanism will continue to be activated, and it can absorb 99.99% of high radiation shocks and physical shocks."
"What if we just run out of energy reserves?" Antonio couldn't help but nitpick, only to receive a smiling stare from Jin Sichen. "Why are you looking at me? He just said that all the energy is going into the spaceship."
“I know, Brother An is referring to the state of the energy reservoir being depleted,” Ruberu chuckled. “But that’s impossible in the Nexus Ring. The outer scales absorb energy constantly, making them difficult to damage even with easy attacks. In other words, even if the energy reservoir is completely drained one second, new energy will flow into it the next. The Nexus Ring’s energy is inexhaustible, which is the fundamental reason why many forces wanted to fight over it back then, but couldn’t bear to destroy it.”
"It's not that I'm unwilling to spend the money, it's because it's a rare energy source," Lin Fan nodded.
The Nexus Ring was originally intended to be a battle fortress, but it unexpectedly became a trading port.
“Yes.” Rubelu nodded as well. “The many forces that initially created the Nexus Ring went their separate ways due to conflicts and never reunited. Dark matter crystals were also depleted due to the massive consumption of the Nexus Ring. Even when they were found later, they were only found in scattered pieces, making it very difficult to replicate the process.”
"Look, these antimatter annihilation cannon arrays deployed in the middle layer were forged by Luna Star back then. Although I didn't participate, I've seen the relevant records. These 1024 annihilation cannons are also made of dark matter crystals. It took a lot of effort to forge them and install them. It is said that their maximum range can reach one light-year and can destroy large celestial bodies instantly."
"That powerful?!" Qi Mai couldn't help but exclaim. "In that case, the Star Nexus Ring's firepower alone would deter anyone from attacking it."
Ruberu smiled and lowered his voice: "This is just a theoretical value. In reality, the activation energy of the antimatter annihilation cannon is too great. In actual war, after activating the dark matter shield, without sufficient additional energy reserves, it is impossible to fully activate these devastating attacks. At most, it can only fire a couple of shots to scare people; it's basically just for show."
"Not only these large machines, but also many other firearms on the Star Ring are made by Moonflower. However, the materials used are ultimately much inferior. Moonflower's reputation for weapon manufacturing is also widely known because of the Star Ring. Therefore, setting up a shop here is not only for trade needs, but also for after-sales service."
"The Nexus Ring is not just a simple trading port, but a civilization energy transfer hub that has formed a unique culture and safe environment. No matter what deep hatred you have outside, once you arrive at the Nexus Ring, you must abide by the rules here and live in peace. If you have grudges, leave the port and deal with them later."
"So, in general, whether it's the external environment or the internal conditions, the safety of the Nexus Ring is unique in the entire universe."